Hampshire County, Massachusetts
| Hampshire County, Massachusetts | |
 Old Hampshire County Courthouse
|
|
 Location in the state of Massachusetts |
|
 Massachusetts's location in the U.S. |
|
| Founded | 1662 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Northampton County government abolished in 1999 |
| Largest city | Amherst |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
545.44 sq mi (1,413 km²) 529.03 sq mi (1,370 km²) 16.41 sq mi (43 km²), 3.01% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
158,080 299/sq mi (115/km²) |
| Website | www.hampshirecog.org |
Hampshire County is a non-governmental county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 158,080. Its most populous municipality is Amherst and its county seat is Northampton.[1]
Hampshire County is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents |
History [edit]
Hampshire County was constituted in 1662 from previously unorganized territory comprising the entire western part of Massachusetts Bay Colony. It included the original towns of Springfield, Northampton, and Hadley. The original Hampshire County included territory that is now in modern day Hampden County, Franklin County, and Berkshire County, as well as small parts of modern day Worcester County. By 1683, three new towns (Westfield (now Southwick), Suffield, and Enfield) had been incorporated south of Springfield. These towns were partly or wholly in the modern state of Connecticut at the time of their incorporation and resulted in a border dispute between the Connecticut Colony and Massachusetts Bay Colony.
In 1731, Worcester County was created, which included the original town of Brookfield (incorporated in 1718 as part of Hampshire County). More territory was lost to Worcester County in 1742 when the town of Western (now Warren) was created and added to Worcester County. Further territorial losses occurred in 1749 when the towns of Enfield, Somers (split off from Enfield in 1734), and Suffield unilaterally joined Connecticut Colony. In 1761, Berkshire County was created resulting in even more territorial loss for Hampshire County. In 1811, Franklin County was split off from the northern part of Hampshire, and in the following year, Hampden County was split off from the southern part of Hampshire.
Like a number of Massachusetts counties, Hampshire County exists today both as a historical geographic region and a judicial district; it has no county government. Many former county functions were assumed by state agencies in 1999. The sheriff and some other regional officials with specific duties are still elected county-wide to perform duties within the region. The Hampshire Council of Governments, with elected councilors from 15 towns, provides many regional services,[2] though otherwise there is no county council or commissioners. Together with Hampden County, Hampshire County municipalities belong to the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 13, 2010[3] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
| Democratic | 38,158 | 38.26% | |||
| Republican | 8,917 | 8.94% | |||
| Unaffiliated | 51,849 | 51.98% | |||
| Minor Parties | 815 | 0.82% | |||
| Total | 99,739 | 100% | |||
Politics [edit]
| Year | Democrat | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 70.3% 56,552 | 26.6% 21,366 |
| 2008 | 71.5% 56,869 | 25.9% 20,618 |
| 2004 | 69.4% 51,680 | 28.6% 21,315 |
| 2000 | 56.2% 38,543 | 28.0% 19,202 |
Geography [edit]
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 545.44 square miles (1,412.7 km2), of which 529.03 square miles (1,370.2 km2) (or 96.99%) is land and 16.41 square miles (42.5 km2) (or 3.01%) is water.[5]
Hampshire County is the middle section of the Pioneer Valley, and the northern tip of the Hartford-Springfield Knowledge Corridor.
Adjacent counties [edit]
Hampshire County is the only county in Massachusetts surrounded in all directions by other counties of Massachusetts: all other counties in the state are adjacent to at least one other state or the open ocean.
- Franklin County (north)
- Worcester County (east)
- Hampden County (south)
- Berkshire County (west)
 |
Franklin County | |
||
| Berkshire County |  |
Worcester County | ||
|
||||
 |
||||
| Hampden County |
Demographics [edit]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 59,656 |
|
|
| 1800 | 72,432 | 21.4% | |
| 1810 | 76,275 | 5.3% | |
| 1820 | 26,487 | −65.3% | |
| 1830 | 30,254 | 14.2% | |
| 1840 | 30,897 | 2.1% | |
| 1850 | 35,732 | 15.6% | |
| 1860 | 37,823 | 5.9% | |
| 1870 | 44,388 | 17.4% | |
| 1880 | 47,232 | 6.4% | |
| 1890 | 51,859 | 9.8% | |
| 1900 | 58,820 | 13.4% | |
| 1910 | 63,327 | 7.7% | |
| 1920 | 69,599 | 9.9% | |
| 1930 | 72,801 | 4.6% | |
| 1940 | 72,461 | −0.5% | |
| 1950 | 87,594 | 20.9% | |
| 1960 | 103,229 | 17.8% | |
| 1970 | 123,981 | 20.1% | |
| 1980 | 138,813 | 12.0% | |
| 1990 | 146,568 | 5.6% | |
| 2000 | 152,251 | 3.9% | |
| 2010 | 158,080 | 3.8% | |
| [6][7][8] | |||
As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 152,251 people, 55,991 households, and 33,818 families residing in the county. The population density was 288 people per square mile (111/km²). There were 58,644 housing units at an average density of 111 per square mile (43/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.10% White, 1.96% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 3.40% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.50% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. 3.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.7% were of Irish, 12.8% Polish, 9.6% English, 9.5% French, 8.5% French Canadian, 6.9% Italian and 6.4% German ancestry according to Census 2000. 88.8% spoke English, 3.4% Spanish, 1.7% French and 1.4% Polish as their first language.
There were 55,991 households out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.40% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.60% were non-families. 28.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county the population was spread out with 19.60% under the age of 18, 19.30% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 87.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $46,098, and the median income for a family was $57,480. Males had a median income of $39,327 versus $30,362 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,685. About 5.10% of families and 9.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.20% of those under age 18 and 6.70% of those age 65 or over.
Cities, towns, and villages* [edit]
- Amherst
- Amherst Center (a village of Amherst)
- Cushman (a village of Amherst)
- North Amherst (a village of Amherst)
- South Amherst (a village of Amherst)
- Belchertown
- Chesterfield
- Cummington
- Easthampton
- Enfield (disincorporated for the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir)
- Goshen
- Granby
- Greenwich (disincorporated for the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir)
- Hadley
- Hatfield
- Huntington (Formerly named Norwich)
- Middlefield
- Northampton
- Pelham
- Plainfield
- Prescott (disincorporated for the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir)
- South Hadley
- South Hadley Falls (a section of southern South Hadley)
- Southampton
- Ware
- Westhampton
- Williamsburg
- Haydenville (a village of Williamsburg)
- Worthington
* Villages are census division, but have no separate corporate existence from the towns they are in.
Largest cities [edit]
- Amherst - 37,819
- Northampton - 28,549
- South Hadley - 17,514
- Easthampton - 15,994
- Belchertown - 14,649
- Ware - 9,707
- Granby - 6,420
- Southampton - 5,387
- Hadley - 4,793
- Hatfield - 3,249
- Williamsburg - 2,482
- Huntington - 2,174
- Westhampton - 1,607
- Pelham - 1,403
- Worthington 1,270
- Chesterfield - 1,201
- Goshen - 1,054
- Cummington - 978
- Plainfield - 589
- Middlefield - 542
The Five Colleges [edit]
Hampshire County is notable for the presence within its borders of the "Five Colleges", comprising the University of Massachusetts flagship campus and four well-known private colleges:
- Amherst College, Amherst
- Hampshire College, Amherst
- Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley
- Smith College, Northampton
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
A consortium, Five Colleges, Inc., provides easy course cross-registration and free bus service between the campuses.
See also [edit]
- Registry of Deeds (Massachusetts)
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampshire County, Massachusetts
- USS Hampshire County (LST-819)
References [edit]
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "Hampshire Council of Governments". Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- ^ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 13, 2010" (PDF). Massachusetts Elections Division. Retrieved 2010-03-14.
- ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved 2011-06-11.
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/ma190090.txt
- ^ American FactFinder
- ^ University of Virginia Library
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links [edit]
- Wall & Gray. 1871 Atlas of Massachusetts. Map of Massachusetts. USA. New England. Counties - Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden, Worcester, Middlesex, Essex and Norfolk, Boston - Suffolk,Plymouth, Bristol, Barnstable and Dukes (Cape Cod). Cities - Springfield, Worcester, Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Newburyport, Salem, Lynn, Taunton, Fall River. New Bedford. These 1871 maps of the Counties and Cities are useful to see the roads and rail lines.
- Beers,D.G. 1872 Atlas of Essex County Map of Massachusetts Plate 5. Click on the map for a very large image.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
